The Irish standard., 1887-04-30

are s'disorganized." That is to say a
county inspector told the Judge, who
told the Grand Jury that they are ''dis.
organized, and the Chief Secretary Of a
fortnight's standing read their speeches
in the newspaper. On this ground,
and on no other, he asks the House Of
Commons to sanction for the whole of
Ireland a savage and perpetual Coer-
cion. These lurid statements Of the
judges on close examination melt
away like soap bubbles under pressure.
The strongest statement OF all was
made by Judge Law son in Mayo. The
county, he said, was in a complete con-
dition Of disorganization, only one step
removed from civil war. This descrip-
tion points to riot and anlaWful assem-
bly,, to open violence, to crimes in
which at least there was difficulty in
getting the prisoners iuto the dock,
whatever difficulty there might be
about conviction. What were the facts ?
The two gravest cases for the assizes
was a charge against number of peas
ants in the island of Achill for an al
legged attack on the police at an auc-
tion OF timber, in which, on the Crown 8
admission, no stone had been thrown
and no blow struck, and no injury Of
any kind inflicted. Fortunately for the
prisoners, an impartial wltness-an az
til]e1y lieutenant who was shooting on
the islaud-was able to give evidence
as an eye witness of the occurrence.
His evidence exonerated the prisoners,
and che jury refused to convict in obed-
ience to the judge, In the other case
a resident magistrate had been injured
by a stone thrown by an unknown
hand in a crowd, The jury promptly
convicted the only prisoner, man
named Sketfngton, against whom there
was sufficient evidence, and the judge
considered the ends of justice satisfied
by three months imprisonment. So
much for the civil war in Mayo. In
Galway Judge Murphy declared the
reign Of lawlessness triumphant. There
was but one Important agrarian case
before him at the assizes-taking lille
gal possession Of a holding. The case
created much local excitement. There
were, it is said, several members OF the
National League on the jury. The al
legged ringleader in the oifense was
promptly convicted and, with the con-
currence of the Court, was permitted
by the Grown counsel to stand out on
his own recognisances. Aret the judges
partisans who describe this condition Of
things as lawlessness one step removed
from civil war, or are they suffering
from the same nightmare with which
the Prime Minister confesses he is af~
f1icted. 1t is impossible to acquit them
Of partisanship at the expense of their
intelligence. These judges are precise
ly what the Chief-Secretary, with his
three days. experience Of Ireland, pro-
claimed they are not. They are poll
ticians and partisans travelling about
the country making up a good Parlia-
mentary case.'' There is not one Of
them who has not been Crown Prose
cutor in his day, OF who does not re-
member the old tricks Of his trade.
Their harangues chime in with singu-
lar appropriateness to the Coercion pro-
ject of the Government. These in
fated orations of Judge O'Brien and
Judge Johnson, Judge Lawson and
Judge Murphy, are the only justifica-
tion Of their Coercion policy which the
Tories have to offer to the House Of
Commons. Can any one doubt that
these opportune harangues were deliy-
cred to order; that the mysterious po-
lice statistics Oh which they purported
to be based were cooked Oh a hint from
Dublin Castle ?--United Ireland.